043. Evening Skincare Routine and the Draw of Euphoria
Sharing my evening skincare routine and parsing the spectrum of HBO’s ‘Euphoria.’
Hi! I’m Maggie, and welcome to Tender Forms Off-Camera: a weekly newsletter about slow living. Topics include skincare, makeup, film, television, and health.
You might notice some repetitive items because that’s how I tend to use skincare. I’ll stick with the same items for both day and night, and once I’m finished, I’ll introduce something new. I’ll keep the repeated items short, but you can read about them more in-depth in last week’s newsletter, which covered my morning skincare routine.
C L E A N S E :
I’ve been keeping three cleansers in rotation lately. The first is the one I used most and is actually an empty!
YINA Bioadaptive Cleanser* (gift from friend, $68, 100ml | 3.3floz)
5YINA recently underwent a rebrand from head to toe, so to speak. They’re now simply YINA. The bottle shown here is in their previous packaging. Previously, the bioadaptive cleanser came at 60ml | 2.02floz and retailed $38. You’ll notice there’s a price jump between the two of just under $2 per ounce. I wonder if there’s any difference in the formula and how the packaging differs because one of my main concerns with this was the packaging. I loved the compact bottle, but one pump dispenses out a lot of product, and since the directions suggest 2 to 3 pumps, I blew through this bottle unsurprisingly fast. And once I was about three-quarters of the way done, the pump stopped working, which was a bummer. Apart from that, this is a powerful cleanser. When I use this, I don’t feel the need for a second cleanse because my face feels so clean. It removes makeup and grime easily and has a decongesting effect. It dispenses like a thick oil emulsion and emulsifies with water, rinsing clean. The downsides are that it’s so powerful that my face becomes a bit sensitive when I use this consistently night after night, and if you get it into your eye, it stings to high heaven. Some cleansers sting only momentarily, but this one causes my eyes to water for a few minutes, making this a difficult cleanser for removing any eye makeup. Which is why I have my other two cleansers.
Heart of Gold Astral Traveler Cleansing Fluid ($44, 50ml | 1.7floz)
I’m sighing in pleasure here, my tried and true. I love this cleanser so much. It remains one of my favorite of all time. It’s potent yet gentle enough for daily use. This is another one where I don’t feel the need to double cleanse. It removes everything effortlessly, heals acne immediately, and rinses clean. Each pump dispenses a tiny amount, but that’s all you need. With a full face of makeup, I’ll use three pumps. On a bare face, I’ll use one to two.
Stark ECLIPSE Activated Cleansing Gel* (gifted, $30, 120ml | 4floz)
You know how much I love this cleanser too. It’s my favorite gel cleanser, full stop. I used this to remove any remaining makeup around the eyes after using the YINA cleanser. This one is gentle enough without worrying about stinging the eyes, yet strong enough to remove any makeup. I tend to use this one the most on bare-faced days (the weekends) or any day where I’m craving a double cleanse (few and far between in the colder months).
E S S E N C E : Naturallogic Elemental Advanced Hydration Red Wine Essence* (gift from friend, $58, 2floz | 60ml)
I have a gut feeling Naturallogic is going to be a big Tender Forms skincare brand for 2021. I’ve loved everything I’ve tried thus far, which says a lot because some of the items aren’t ones I usually go for. No doubt, there will be a brand review sometime this year. But first, let’s talk about this beautiful silk chiffon peach toning essence. A pump dispenses a light liquid-gel consistency. Swept across the face, it sinks in almost instantaneously; my skin drinks it right up. I tend to use this every other evening. When my skin feels good, I don’t like to overload it with things, but when it feels slightly drier or in need of a boost, this does the trick. This, too, smells of red wine but more acidic in scent than their Luna Mask. It contains a stellar list of ingredients: three low molecular weight hyaluronic acids, in-house made red wine, red algae, niacinamide, the list goes on. I also love that it’s essentially a two-in-one, tones like a toner, and hydrates like a mist. This must be why people love essences.
H Y D R A T I O N : UNCOMMON YARROW Yarrow Hydrosol* (gifted, $20, 2floz)
The one and only. This is such a healing hydrosol. One thing I can’t remember if I mentioned last week is about the scent. Since this is a one-ingredient hydrosol, it may come across as a strong scent for those unfamiliar with yarrow. Husband, the chef, describes it as funky, and I would too. But the descriptor “funky” when it comes to food is a positive one in our household. It’s quite strong during and right after misting but dissipates within 30 seconds. I am about two days away from finishing this bottle and am already thinking of repurchasing. But I have a few others lined up that I’m so excited to try. More on that soon.
I wrote about these next three in last week’s newsletter and use them in the same way.
E Y E B A L M : evanhealy Blue Cactus Cooling Balm Stick* (gifted, $19.95, .5oz | 14g)
S E R U M : pAra botanica Immortal Facial Serum ($72, 1floz | 30ml)
This, mixed with Naturallogic’s Rarefy, is what I use every evening. On nights when I feel I want a bit more, I’ll preface this step with Naturallogic’s Elemental.
O I L : Naturallogic RAREFY Flawless Complexion Oil Serum* ($72, 1floz | 30ml)
B A L M : pAra botanica Chaya Beauty Balm*($50, 1oz | 30ml)
It should be no surprise that my face balm of choice is pAra botanica’s Chaya. Indeed, the only face balm I’ve ever loved. I’m so happy I purchased a brand new jar end of last year because it came just in time for winter. Growing up and living a large portion of my life on the East Coast, the Pacific Northwest winters are very mild compared, which is excellent because it means my skincare usually doesn’t have to change much between seasons. However, when the heater is running at the peak of winter, and it’s overall very dry, my skin craves a bit more. That’s where Chaya comes in. I’ll take a pea-sized amount at max and work it in the face with a bit of facial massage or a facial gua sha tool of choice. It just locks in all the layers of hydrosol between silky plush sheets of toner, serum, and oil. It’s also incredibly healing and does wonders with acne overnight and any dry patches or irritated skin. It also makes an incredible in-shower mask. I’ll spread a quarter-sized amount onto the skin after cleansing, hop in the shower and let the steam do the rest. Then remove the excess with a washcloth afterward. It’s also one of my favorite non-emulsifying cleansers! And yes, you’re correct to think there’s nothing this balm can’t do.
T O O L S :
Lanshin Pro Gua Sha Tool*($125)
Lanshin Nephrite Sculpting Spoon*($58)
I wrote about both of these recently in my 2020 Index: Skincare roundup. Lanshin tools are a huge part of my self-care routine. They’re palm-sized exquisite treasures that do so much good for my skin and mental mood. They release all jaw tension and stress, and I am always relaxed and in a much better state of mind after a facial gua sha routine. The Lanshin Pro Tool is my holy-grail OG. I purchased the previous version of it myself, and it’s been an integral part of my life. It epitomizes the phrases “slow beauty” and “slow living” for me. And offers me a chance to reconnect with myself that I didn’t think was possible from a simple act of facial gua sha. It’s kismet I write about this tool on Valentine’s Day because I’m just about to hit my second (year) anniversary with it too. Lanshin Pro, I love you!
The Nephrite Sculpting Spoon is a newer relationship, but I only grow to enjoy it more and more. I’ve started using this outside of my 1–3x a week facial gua sha routine, and I’m just so delighted. It’s become my daily tool for work stress relief. If you’ve been around for a while, you know I carry a tremendous amount of tension in my jaw. Whenever I’m stressed during work, I tend to clench my jaw, and sometimes at the end of a tough workday, it’s difficult to even open my mouth. The sculpting spoon has been a savior since my almost daily practice of using it in the evenings to work out that tension. Releases the jaw immediately with one move and has been excellent with working out knots along my jaw, so they never build to the feeling of irreparable. I sit in front of a computer anywhere between 8–11 hours a day for work, so it’s incredibly soothing on the eyes too. This is why I desperately wanted to include both of these items in my evening skincare routine because they’re a huge part of it.
This concludes my daily morning and evening skincare routines! I may do a weekend one in the future because that’s when masks and treatments tend to come into play. In the meantime, I ran through my 2020 favorites back in Newsletter 038 if you’re fancying an extra read. And if you know anyone who might be interested in the above or this newsletter, please share!
I don’t remember precisely when I watched HBO’s ‘Euphoria.’ Still, I recall it being well after it premiered and bingeing it over a week. I felt very neutral about it, didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. But it is highly entertaining and contains more laugh out loud moments than I had expected. Plus, it’s just got a great cast of characters. I’d give Season 1 a solid three stars. However, being the television lover that I am, like many, I found myself missing these characters with the constant pushing of production due to COVID. So when the holiday specials popped up out of nowhere, I found myself gleeful. Hoping it would tide me over until Season 2. In a way, it did, and in many ways, it didn’t.
You can still watch these two holiday specials without having seen Season 1 of ‘Euphoria.’ To me, they spoil very little and are good standalone episodes.
Euphoria: Trouble Don’t Last Always (2020, HBO)
The first to premiere was Rue’s special episode. One thing to know about production in COVID times is that there are high restrictions to every aspect. At most, you can film three actors together at once. Then, of course, there’s the comfortability level of each actor to consider. Some may prefer scenes that contain significant physical distance. It’s also best to do everything with a skeleton crew. This is probably why the special episodes focus mainly on one character interacting with one supporting or guest character.
It took me three tries to finish Rue’s special episode. Not because I was short on time, but because it was…irritating. There are two ways to approach holiday episodes. Either they are complete standalones outside of the original storyline and style, or nothing has changed, and it feels very much like another episode of the season. Rue’s is the latter.
This episode feels like a 120min drag, even though it only had a runtime of 57min. I was extremely frustrated because it went in circles. In their defense, persons with an addiction do live cyclical lifestyles. But nothing was interesting or new. I didn’t discover anything pertinent about Rue, which seems like a missed opportunity for an episode devoted to her. It felt more like an episode of Ali. Which, in that sense, I immensely enjoyed and appreciated. Colman Domingo who plays, Ali (Rue’s NA sponsor), gives a stellar performance. This episode isn’t about her; it’s about him. In a way, it is Rue’s therapy session. Ali places importance on areas she otherwise misses and offers clarity in her hazy self-hatred or dreamy impressions of Jules.
Apart from that, this adds absolutely nothing to the series. Yes, you get to spend an hour with one of the lead characters, but it doesn’t propel the story or offer a different facet to Rue. The Jules special episode, however, feels the opposite.
Euphoria: F*ck Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob (2021, HBO)
Jules’ episode feels like a catalyst for the series. It’s growing or at least morphing into the start of something new. It holds onto some of the hyper-stylized surreal vignettes yet explores other visual storytelling methods that I enjoyed. This episode is an actual therapy session. Jules has her first session, and throughout the 48min, we learn so many new things about her.
The episode provides new contexts to moments in Season 1, and shows a different side of Jules that we didn’t get in Season 1, including a significant part of her backstory. What’s more, is that it even offers a different aspect of Rue. We get to see what and who see is to someone else.
Hunter Schafer, who plays Jules, is transgender and co-wrote this special episode with showrunner Sam Levinson (he alone wrote Rue’s episode). And I do see her mark on it. Having watched Season 1 and the Rue episode, I’m familiar with how Levinson approaches direction, story, and dialogue, which is why some parts stand out so much in this episode, thanks to Schafer. She adds a different layer to the show, one I find genuine, heartbreaking, fun, raw, and elegant all at once. This one is very much worth the watch.
Speaking of Sam Levinson, I’ve unknowingly followed the write/director’s career for quite a bit. He wrote and directed ‘Another Happy Day,’ which I haven’t seen, but worked on promotion for back when I was staff at Showtime. Husband and I watched ‘Assassination Nation’ back in 2018 and really enjoyed it. Then I watched ‘Euphoria’ in 2019 and finally looked up who he was. And now that leads me to his latest Netflix film, ‘Malcolm & Marie.’
Malcolm & Marie (2021, Netflix)
I wanted to love this; I really did. John David Washington, yes. Zendaya, sure! Stylized black and white glimpse into a couple over the course of one evening, sold. Instead, I don’t want to say the word hate, but I hated it. I thought the Rue episode was unnecessary, but this is unnecessary. This is an emotional rollercoaster no one wants to be on.
I have yet to watch ‘Tenet’ (I know), but if John David Washington is like this in it, no thanks. Zendaya plays the more feminized, glamorous version of Rue, so nothing new there. I read a review where someone wrote “If Marriage Story was a Calvin Klein ad,” and I regret to say I 100% agreed with it! If you’re looking for a better, more succinct couple’s fight, might I steer you to Linklater’s 2013 ‘Before Midnight?’
There are many moments in the film that are clear efforts to make it into a “serious” film: Washington’s 500th overly emotional monologue, the closeup of his tears welling up, Zendaya’s costume change from red carpet ready to bare-faced in a white tank, and panties, the endless arguments about what makes a film great and what critics get wrong…
And all this isn’t to say there was no effort because there was plenty of it. For one, this is the first film to be fully-produced during COVID from conception to distribution. It stars two gorgeous beings, both great actors in their own right. Highly stylized, but beautiful no less. It’s just that when it comes to the story and the dialogue, all you see is effort. And all you want to do is shut your eyes, cringe, and wait for the moment to pass. Except when it does, 5 minutes later, they return to it, which continues for almost two hours. I’m going to blame it on the project being rushed and not going through enough script edits before filming. There may have been an excellent film somewhere in there, just not in this version.
The gem of the film is Dionne Warwick’s ‘Get Rid of Him.’
When ‘Euphoria’ Season 2 comes out, will I watch it? Absolutely. But if I’ve learned anything about Levinson, it’s that he could do with a little less is more. Like the two-minute-long intro to Jules’ episode where it’s a macro shot of images reflected in her eye as Lorde’s ‘Liability’ plays in the background. They play the full length of that song! All 2:52 devoted to Jules’ left eye and the ‘Euphoria’ title card.
Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you’ve been enjoying in your evening skincare lately! And I know I was a little harsh on Sam Levinson, but I do really enjoy his work for the most part. Have you watched ‘Malcolm & Marie’ yet? Remember, you can always leave a comment or reply directly to this email to chat.
As always, I hope you have a great start to your week! Happy Lunar New Year, Happy Valentine’s Day, and I hope you enjoy the three-day weekend if you’ve got it! See you next Sunday.
